Maggie's Girl
by QQSuited
Summary: Future fic. Miranda is 5 now and has a love for hockey, much to Maggie's delight and Bianca's chagrin. A one-shot for fun, re-visiting BAMimo a few years from now and finding them a happy, loving family.


A/N: Just a quick little story inspired by a comment from a recent chapter of Maintaining Balance.

Disclaimer: The characters of Bianca, Maggie and Miranda belong to ABC and All My Children. Miranda's precociousness is a figment of my fertile imagination….

**Maggie's Girl**

Paris, France  
Fall/Winter 2009

"But Momma!"

"No, Miranda."

"Please? Please, please, please, please, pleeeeaaase?" Miranda turned pleading eyes on her mother, the patented Stone puppy dog face that Maggie had taught her years ago. "Maggie said I could," she pouted.

Bianca turned to Maggie. "This is all your doing, isn't it?"

Maggie jerked back. "What the hell did _I_ do?"

"Hockey. She wants to play hockey," Bianca replied as she stood by the kitchen counter with her hand on her hips.

Putting down the evening paper, Maggie grinned. "Really! That's great!"

"No it's not."

Maggie frowned. "Why not?"

"Yeah," Miranda piped up. "Why not?"

"Because she could get hurt!" Bianca exclaimed, shoving open the kitchen door and heading for the den.

"Oh, come on, Bianca," Maggie replied, chasing after the brunette, waving Miranda along with her. "You've seen her skate, no one can touch her!"

"Yeah, Momma! I'm fast!"

"Plus boarding and checking isn't allowed until they're older."

Bianca gave Maggie a wide-eyed look. "Oh, that's _so_ reassuring, Maggie."

"Come on, Binks, she's incredible on the ice. I've seen her. She puts up a good challenge for the boys."

"Boys?!" Bianca pressed a hand to her forehead. "I think I have a headache now. First hockey, now boys?"

Maggie moved closer to the brunette, placing an arm around her shoulders. "Relax, honey, Miranda was gentle with them." That made Bianca groan. "Heck, she even let them score a goal or two yesterday. And really, even the coach for the boy's team says she had more talent than any kid he's coached."

"Maggie…"

"Oh, come on, Bianca. She's got a ton of potential. Imagine it! She could get a college scholarship to play hockey!"

Bianca stared at Maggie. "I'm sorry, it would be a financial hardship for us to send her to college?"

"She's good enough, Binks, that when she gets older, she could play for the U.S. National team. I'm talking the Olympics, Bianca. The Olympics!"

"You've already got her playing for the New York Rangers, don't you?"

"No!" Bianca just gave Maggie a look that had the young doctor squirming. "Okay, there's always the possibility of breaking the sex barrier, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. Sweetie, Miranda is very, very good. She's only 5 and she's beating 7 and 8 year olds on the breakaways."

"Where is she playing hockey at, Maggie?!"

Maggie had the good sense to flush a little at being caught. "Oh, um, well… we go down to the rink and she plays with the kids during their practice… The coaches beg her to scrimmage with them." Then Maggie grinned at Bianca. "They call her Boom-Boom Stone."

Miranda sat quietly, watching her parents duel over this. She could tell her 'Aggie was starting to gain the advantage, but wisely decided to stay out of the mix. She picked up Leo and stroked his fur while the grown-ups talked.

"Boom-Boom? But I thought..."

"I know... I know, it's your nickname, but it fits her so well, too," Maggie said comfortingly. She turned her head and winked at Miranda, giving her a sign that her mother was going to crumble at any moment. "There are other girls playing, too."

"But Maggie, she's only 5."

"Yeah, I know. Your point?"

Bianca stared at their daughter for a moment, Miranda seated on the sofa waiting patiently for an answer. Hockey? Her little girl was playing hockey now? What happened to all the dollhouses and tea parties they used to have? Bianca sighed. Apparently, they were pushed aside for recreational sports. "But Maggie, she's just a little girl. What if she gets hurt?"

"Every time we're at the rink, I've kept my eye on her and she hasn't gotten hurt yet. And the boys are excited to see a girl who can play as well as them." Maggie pulled Bianca close, holding her reassuringly in her arms. She could tell this was a bit of a shock for her, realizing how fast Miranda was growing and how her interests were changing.

Bianca lifted her head, raising an eyebrow. "Yet... You mean she could still get hurt if she plays."

"You've seen Miranda's hockey gear, Honey. She's got a cage on her helmet, good gloves and pads… Plus, no one can touch her, she's just too good."

"I thought you just bought her that stuff for fun. I had no idea she was using it to actually _play hockey_!"

Maggie took Bianca's hands in hers. "Bianca, Mia Hamm started playing soccer when she was 5 years old. Look at her! Our little girl has the opportunity to do wonderful things. But only if we give her the chance."

Bianca looked at Maggie. "You're saying Miranda has the chance to be the next Mia Hamm?"

"Or the next Cammie Granato or Brandi Chastain or Jenny Potter or Julie Foudy or-!"

"Or the next Maggie Stone?"

"If she wants to be, yeah," Maggie said softly.

"Okay, Maggie, I get it now. You're living vicariously through our daughter, aren't you?" Maggie gave her a sheepish smile. "You and Frankie didn't have the chance to live out your hockey dream, so you're having Miranda live it for you."

Maggie squirmed again, scrambling for a sensible reply. "Okay, and, um, again, your point is?" _Okay, so maybe not so sensible_, she thought but she was determined to win this one for Miranda.

"I'm just saying, sweetheart."

"Come on, Binks, I wouldn't force her into this just to satisfy an old dream of mine. But she wants to play. She really wants to play."

"Yeah, I wanna play," Miranda interjected into the conversation. It was time she stand her ground, all four feet of it that is. "Momma, I'm a good hockey player. I score and the boys can't even touch me. I won't get hurt, I promise. Please, Momma, let me play."

Bianca sighed. "Miranda-."

"Please, Momma. Please?"

"Are you sure, Munchie?" Bianca asked in softly. She was trying to contain her smile. Their little girl was so much like Maggie, it was almost too easy to imagine Maggie looking exactly like this when she was 5. Scuffed jeans, well-worn sneakers and the ever-present Rangers jersey, ponytail askew with wisps of hair coming loose, a smudge of dirt on one cheek. "You have to be sure."

"I'm sure, Momma. I won't change my mind."

Bianca sat silently, weighing the decision in her mind. Oh, hell, who was she kidding? She was going to give Miranda the answer she wanted, she just wanted to hold off for a few moments. "There will be conditions, young lady," she finally replied.

Maggie visibly sighed with relief, unaware she had been holding her breath. Miranda shrieked with joy, setting Leo aside so she could jump to her feet.

"Yay!" Miranda yelled, hopping up and down excitedly. "Thanks you, Momma! Thanks you! Thanks you! Thanks you!"

"Wait a minute!" Bianca called out, holding up a hand in a move eerily reminiscent of Erica Kane. "I said there will be conditions!"

Miranda stopped jumping, her little hands clasped in front of her in anticipation. "Okay, Momma."

"What conditions, B?" Maggie asked.

Bianca sighed. "One, she only plays up no more than two years her own age group."

"Okay."

"Two, she will never, and I mean _never_ play goaltender."

Maggie nodded. "Deal. You don't put a scorer like Boom-Boom Stone between the pipes," she said, tossing Miranda another wink.

"Three, and this is the big one…"

"Okay."

"Three, if she ever gets hurt, she has to quit."

"Bianca!"

"No, Momma!"

Bianca shook her head. "I'm not changing my mind on this, you two."

Maggie got a devious gleam in her eye. "Just what do you mean by 'hurt'?"

"What?" Bianca shook her head. "What do you mean, what do I mean?"

"Well, it's hockey, Binks. She'll get bumps and bruises. Besides, she's the only kid with a doctor already on staff."

Bianca gave Maggie the evil eye for putting her on the spot. "I mean, if she breaks a bone, needs stitches anywhere on her face or forehead, destroys a knee or loses an eye."

Maggie was silent for a moment then glanced at Miranda. The little girl met Maggie's eyes then slowly nodded.

"We accept your conditions," Maggie said in agreement.

"And when she gets older, she better not lose any of her permanent teeth."

"Yes, ma'am," Maggie replied.

"Yes, ma'am," Miranda parroted.

Bianca sighed and shook her head. "What have I done?"

Miranda launched herself into her mother's arms. "Thanks you soooo much, Momma. Thanks you! I love you!" she wrapped her arms around Bianca's neck and squeezed tight. "I'll play real good and you'll be so proud of me."

Feeling herself tear up at the boundless joy her daughter was showing, Bianca wrapped an arm around Miranda's tiny body and held her close. "Oh, Munchie," she said softly, "I'm already proud of you."

After kissing Bianca on the cheek, Miranda threw herself at Maggie. "Thanks you, 'Aggie. I love you."

Maggie grinned and hugged her little girl close. "I love you, too, Munchie." She pressed a noisy, smacking kiss to Miranda's cheek. "Okay, now, you have a try-out tomorrow, so you have to go to bed early tonight."

"Okay."

"What?!" Bianca exclaimed.

Maggie patted Miranda's butt gently. "Go on, Sweetie," she whispered to the girl as she climbed down off the sofa. "Um, yeah, she has a try-out tomorrow with the Française Volants Chicks team."

"You planned this," Bianca accused. "This whole thing was a set-up."

"No, Honey, it wasn't. They asked me today if she would like to try out and I told them we had to talk to you first."

"She's only doing this to impress you, you know."

Maggie smiled as she watched Miranda playing with Leo. "She doesn't need to impress me, but I'm really happy she wants to."

"Her grandmother is going to completely freak."

Maggie's smile stretched quickly into a grin. "That'll be fun to see…"

Bianca leaned away from Maggie for a moment and gave her a look. "This is about you and Zach, isn't it? The whole Rangers-Red Wings rivalry?"

"Well... you could say that," Maggie tilted her head slightly, attempting to hide her grin. _Score one, for the Magster! _She pulled Bianca back to her side and settled back against the sofa, an arm around the brunette's shoulders to pull her close. "But really, Bianca, I don't ever want to stop our daughter from doing something she wants to do. I never want to hold her back from her dreams." Bianca cocked an eyebrow. "Well, you know, as long as it's safe and all…"

Bianca sighed. "Yeah, I know." She leaned into Maggie, comfortable there in her arms. "And why isn't she called Boom-Boom Montgomery-Stone?"

Maggie rolled her eyes. "Jeez, Binks, that's quite a mouthful, don't you think?"

"It's only fair."

"Well, she's got the Boom-Boom from you and the Stone from me, how's that?" Bianca just looked at up Maggie for so long, Maggie began to wonder is she'd become catatonic. She rolled her eyes. "Okay, we'll put Montgomery-Stone on her jersey…"

"You put her up to this, didn't you?"

Maggie shrugged. "I told her to go ask her mother…"

They both chuckled. "Typical…"

"You know, B, I think we have this parenting thing down pat," she murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of Bianca's head.

"Mmmhmm, I say we do. And this just proves a point I brought up a couple years ago."

"What's that?"

Bianca grinned, nuzzling her head onto Maggie's shoulder. "Miranda is most definitely a 'Maggie's girl'."

The End – Until Miranda leads the US National Team to the Olympic Gold Medal in 2020 at the tender age of 16.


End file.
